Bright city lights cast shadow over studies at Palomar Observatory

The bright lights also have been popping up in North County
cities, such as Vista, which is installing the lights as new
developments are built. Solana Beach also has the lights along some
streets. Temecula uses high-pressure sodium lights at intersections
and along some city streets. Oceanside uses high-pressure
lights.

The high-pressure lights, coupled with an increase in growth in
Riverside and San Diego counties, are causing grief for astronomers
at the observatory, Kardel said.

Case in point

Last week, as astronomer Patrick Lowrance searched the galaxy
for elusive carbon dwarfs -- small, cooling stars -- something was
getting in the way of his research.

The California Institute of Technology scientist had one of the
world's most powerful tools at his fingertips, the Hale
Telescope.

Yet obstructing Lowrance's view, in addition to the millions of
miles between himself and the objects he was studying, was the soft
glow lighting the earth from the bottom up. The hue was coming from
cities and nearby Indian casinos easily seen from atop the
mile-high mountain.

"With light pollution … it limits how deep we can see in the
universe," Lowrance said last week while sitting in front of seven
computer screens, each displaying different images and data.

Lowrance uses the telescope to focus on stars he believes may
have a carbon dwarf circling it. He then prints a spectrum analysis
of the star to determine if there is indeed a carbon dwarf.

The problem is, part of the spectrum analysis is lost because of
light pollution, "and there is no way to make up for it," Lowrance
said.

In 1999, Humboldt State University physics professor Dave
Kornreich wrote an essay about the detrimental affects of light
pollution, particularly at the Palomar Observatory.

"The situation at Palomar is getting quite grim," wrote the
professor, who is well-respected in his field. "Many observers have
given up looking at objects in the southwestern sky because light
pollution is so bad in that direction."

"Palomar users estimate that if things keep going the way they
have been, then in the next 10 years or so, Palomar will be useless
for deep-sky astronomy."

Palomar's spokesman Kardel agrees. He said when astronomers are
considering where to conduct their research, they naturally prefer
telescopes that are housed in places where there is less light
pollution.

Still, he said, Palomar has four telescopes and an
interferometer, and many astronomers conduct research using
infrared methods that are not disrupted as much by the glare. But
it's "not possible to do all our observations that way," he
said.

Changing a light bulb

There are a few good reasons why bringing the bright lights to
the big city is a good move, Petersen said.

"They light the roadway better, and give more uniform lighting
on the road," she said. "The light is easier for people to see
under, especially elderly people."

She also said that the high-pressure lights are cheaper to
operate and maintain and that low-sodium lights burn out about five
times faster.